Aquarium filter

Claim 2

Aquarium tank filtering apparatus, comprising: a base member insertable into an aquarium tank to be supported on the bottom of the aquarium tank, said base member including a top wall that is substantially equal in width and length dimensions to the bottom of the aquarium tank in which said base member is to be used, and means for supporting said top wall above the aquarium tank bottom, so as to form a space in the aquarium tank below said top wall, said base member including an elongated socket extending substantially along a full side thereof, and a plurality of spaced apart water passage openings in said top wall; an elongated pump housing removably received in said elongated socket, said pump housing containing a pump chamber which extends substantially the full length of said housing, said pump chamber having inlet means for receiving water from the space below said top wall and a lid including a plurality of spaced apart outlet openings; an elongated air discharge tube extending length-wise of said pump housing, generally along the bottom of the pump chamber, said air discharge tube including a plurality of spaced apart discharge openings; and means for supplying air into said air discharge tube, whereby during use of said apparatus in conjunction with an aquarium tank containing water, said air will be discharged out of said discharge tube via said discharge openings, and will flow upwardly through said pump chamber and out through said outlet openings, to in use cause circulation of aquarium water from a region adjacent said outlet openings, laterally across the aquarium tank from said pump housing and over the top wall of the base member, and downwardly through the water passage openings in said top wall, into the space below said top wall, then into the pump chamber via said inlet means, and then upwardly through said pump chamber, and outwardly from said pump chamber via said outlet openings, and back into the aquarium tank space above the base member.

Claim 3

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein there is a progressive increase in the area of water passage openings in the top wall, from the vicinity of the elongated socket laterally across the base member to the side thereof opposite said elongated socket, for the purpose of promoting full circulation of water in the aquarium tank.

Claim 4

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the top wall of the base member is in the form of alternating peaks and valleys which are parallel to each other and also to the elongated socket, and wherein the general plane of the top wall slopes downwardly from the region of the pump housing across the base member to the side thereof opposite the pump housing, so as to create an ascending pattern of the peaks to be encountered by the circulating water in its flow path back towards the pump housing, thereby increasing the amount of contact of particles in the water with ascending portions of the peaks, and wherein at least some of the water passage openings in the top wall are situated in the valley regions thereof, in position to receive suspended particles which enter the valley regions by reason of their contacting the ascending wall portions of the peaks.

Claim 5

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein there is a progressive increase in the area of water passage openings in the top wall, from the vicinity of the air pump laterally across the filter member to the side thereof opposite said air pump, for the purpose of promoting full circulation of water in the aquarium tank.

Claim 6

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inlet means for the pump chamber includes a filter chamber comprising means for removing suspended matter from the water.

Claim 7

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said elongated pump housing includes a first side wall directed towards the flow having a plurality of inlet openings therein, an opposite side wall, and an intermediate wall dividing the space between the two side walls into two chambers, with said filtering means being located in the chamber defined between the first side wall and the intermediate wall, with the pump chamber being defined between the intermediate wall and said opposite side wall, and with said intermediate wall including openings therein allowing passage of water from the filter chamber into the pump chamber.

Claim 8

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pump chamber lid extends over both the filter chamber and the pump chamber, and is a lid for both of said chambers.

Claim 9

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said elongated air discharge tube includes a pair of upstanding end portions which project upwardly through openings therefor in said lid, with each said end portion including an inlet.

Claim 10

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid for the pump chamber is substantially flush with the portion of the top wall which borders the elongated socket.

Claim 11

Aquarium filtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outlet openings in said lid are spaced apart lengthwise of said lid and the discharge openings in the air discharge tube are spaced apart along the tube and are positioned relative to the outlet openings in the lid such that in operation a wall of air bubbles emits from the lid of the pump chamber upwardly through the aquarium water adjacent the wall of the aquarium tank adjoining the pump chamber.

Claim 12

Aquarium filter apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate wall is removable and said elongated pump housing includes means for supporting said intermediate wall in position between the inboard and outboard walls of said housing, and wherein the cover means for both of said chambers comprises a single removable lid for the elongated pump housing.

Claim 13

Aquarium tank filtering apparatus, comprising: an elongated pump housing which in use is located generally at the bottom of an aquarium tank, generally along one side wall of such tank, said pump housing including an inboard side wall having a plurality of inlet openings therein spaced substantially along the full length of such wall, an outboard side wall, and an intermediate wall dividing the space between the two side walls into two chambers, with the chamber defined between the inboard side wall and the intermediate wall being a filter chamber and containing filtering means for removing suspended matter from the water, and with the chamber defined between the intermediate wall and the outboard side wall being a pump chamber and containing an elongated air discharge tube extending lengthwise of such chamber generally along the bottom thereof, said air discharge tube including a plurality of spaced apart discharge openings, said intermediate wall including openings therein allowing passage of water from the filter chamber into the pump chamber, and cover means for both of said chambers, with the cover means for the pump chamber including a plurality of outlet openings therein spaced apart essentially along the full length of the pump housing above the air discharge tube; and means for supplying air into said air discharge tube, whereby during operation of said apparatus with said pump housing in an aquarium tank containing water, said air will flow out from such discharge tube via said discharge openings, then upwardly through said pump chamber and out through said outlet openings in the cover means therefor, to in that manner cause circulation of aquarium water first upwardly from a region in the aquarium tank adjacent said outlet openings, then laterally across the aquarium tank, then downwardly and back towards the inlet openings in the inboard side wall of the pump housing, then through the filter means, then into the pump chamber, then upwardly through said pump chamber, and then outwardly from said pump chamber via said outlet openings, back into the aquarium tank spaced thereabove, and whereby in operation a wall of air bubbles emits from the openings in the cover of the pump chamber and extends upwardly through the aquarium water, generally along the side wall thereof.

Claim 14

Aquarium tank filtering apparatus, comprising: an elongated pump housing which in use is located generally at the bottom of an aquarium tank, generally along one side wall of such tank, said pump housing including an inboard side wall having a plurality of inlet openings therein spaced substantially along the full length of such wall, an outboard side wall, and an intermediate wall dividing the space between the two side walls into two chambers, with the chamber defined between the inboard side wall and the intermediate wall being a filter chamber and containing filtering means for removing suspended matter from the water, and with the chamber defined between the intermediate wall and the outboard side wall being a pump chamber and containing an elongated air discharge tube extending lengthwise of such chamber generally along the bottom thereof, said air discharge tube including a plurality of spaced apart discharge openings, said intermediate wall including openings therein allowing passage of water from the filter chamber into the pump chamber, and cover means for both of said chambers, with the cover means for the pump chamber including a plurality of outlet openings therein spaced apart essentially along the full length of the pump housing above the air discharge tube; and means for supplying air into said air discharge tube, whereby during operation of said apparatus with said pump housing in an aquarium tank containing water, said air will flow out from such discharge tube via said discharge openings, then upwardly through said pump chamber and out through said outlet openings in the cover means therefor, to in that manner cause circulation of aquarium water first upwardly from a region in the aquarium tank adjacent said outlet openings, then laterally across the aquarium tank, then downwardly and back towards the inlet openings in the inboard side wall of the pump housing, then through the filter means, then into the pump chamber, then upwardly through said pump chamber, and then outwardly from said pump chamber via said outlet openings, back into the aquarium tank spaced thereabove, and whereby in operation a wall of air bubbles emits from the openings in the cover of the pump chamber and extends upwardly through the aquarium water, generally along the side wall thereof.

Claim 15

Aquarium tank filtering apparatus, comprising: a base member which in use is located within an aquarium tank and is supported on the bottom of the aquarium tank, said base member including a top wall that is substantially equal in width in length dimensions to the bottom of the aquarium tank in which said base member is to be used, and means for supporting said top wall above the aquarium tank bottom, so as to form a space in the aquarium tank below said top wall, said base member including an elongated socket extending along a side thereof and substantially along a full side of the aquarium tank, and a plurality of spaced apart water passage openings in said top wall; an elongated pump and mechanical filtering means which is removably insertable into said elongated socket, said means in use receiving water from the space below said top wall and including means for removing suspended matter from the water; an elongated air discharge tube extending lengthwise of said unit, said air discharge tube including a plurality of spaced apart discharge openings; and means for supplying air into said air discharge tube, whereby during use of said apparatus, with said base member in an aquarium tank containing water, said air will be discharged out of said discharge tube via said discharge openings, and will flow upwardly through said unit and the aquarium tank, to in that manner cause circulation of aquarium water first from a region adjacent said unit, then laterally across the aquarium tank from said unit, and then back over the top wall of the base member, and downwardly through the water passage openings in said top wall, into the space below said top wall, then into said unit via said inlet means, and then upwardly through said unit and then back into the aquarium tank space above the base member.

Claim 16

Aquarium tank filtering apparatus, comprising: a base member which in use is located within an aquarium tank and is supported on the bottom of the aquarium tank, said base member including a top wall that is substantially equal in width in length dimensions to the bottom of the aquarium tank in which said base member is to be used, and means for supporting said top wall above the aquarium tank bottom, so as to form a space in the aquarium tank below said top wall, said base member including an elongated socket extending along a side thereof and substantially along a full side of the aquarium tank, and a plurality of spaced apart water passage openings in said top wall; an elongated pump and mechanical filtering means which is removably insertable into said elongated socket, said means in use receiving water from the space below said top wall and including means for removing suspended matter from the water; an elongated air discharge tube extending lengthwise of said unit, said air discharge tube including a plurality of spaced apart discharge openings; and means for supplying air into said air discharge tube, whereby during use of said apparatus, with said base member in an aquarium tank containing water, said air will be discharged out of said discharge tube via said discharge openings, and will flow upwardly through said unit and the aquarium tank, to in that manner cause circulation of aquarium water first from a region adjacent said unit, then laterally across the aquarium tank from said unit, and then back over the top wall of the base member, and downwardly through the water passage openings in said top wall, into the space below said top wall, then into said unit via said inlet means, and then upwardly through said unit and then back into the aquarium tank space above the base member.